There are a number of references in the New Testament which refer to the church as a flock and Christ as the shepherd of this flock.
In 1 Peter 5:1-4, Peter exhorts elders to shepherd the flock of God. If they serve faithfully “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away,” 1 Peter 5:4.
The words “flock” and “shepherd” express the close, intimate association Christ has with His church. No other expressions can represent so well the love and concern Christ has for His church. A knowledge of sheep and the Palestinian shepherd will give us a picture of Christ and his relationship to the church.
In John 10:1-30, we have the parable of the good shepherd. Many things are revealed in this parable about Christ and His sheep. We will allude to some of these in this lesson.
A. Sheep have no sense of direction.
They are prone to wandering off and becoming lost. This is why sheep have always needed a shepherd or someone to guide them. In modern times, we have fences to keep them from wandering, but this was not the case in New Testament times.
We, too, are very much like sheep. We are not capable of finding our own way. Jeremiah declared a long time ago: “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps,” Jeremiah 10:23.
B. Sheep need a shepherd.
They need him for their own protection, for direction and for food and water. Our shepherd, Christ, is capable of providing all this and even more.
C. Sheep know the voice of their shepherd.
They will not follow the voice of any other shepherd than their own.
To him, the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, John 10:2, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out, John 10:3. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice, John 10:27-28. And a stranger they will by no means follow, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers, John 10:5.
He does not listen to the world, to the temptations of Satan. These voices are not familiar voices in that they do not speak or sound like the oracles of God.
These verses offer us a sense of great security. The Lord has promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” Matthew 28:20. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31. As the Psalmist said, “I will fear no evil,” Psalm 23:4.
An inseparable relationship with Christ, our shepherd, gives us peace of mind and a deep sense of security.
D. Sheep are perfectly harmless.
This is one characteristic that we, the church, the sheep of Christ, must possess. Jesus warned his disciples and said the following.
A. There were shepherds, and there were good shepherds.
In John 10, Jesus speaks of thieves and hirelings who were not the owners of the sheep.
A hireling seeing a wolf will flee because he does not care about the sheep.
B. The good shepherd knows each of his sheep.
We are all known personally by the Lord. He knows our every action and stands ready to protect us.
He knows our needs.
He knows the value of one sheep.
C. The good shepherd does not ask His sheep to go anywhere he would not go.
He is our example.
A. The sheepfold was an uncovered space, open to the air, and usually surrounded by a wall of stone with a strong gate.
It was attended by a gatekeeper who kept it strongly barred at night and who opened it in the morning when the shepherds came to claim their sheep. There might be several flocks in one sheepfold. There was no danger of their getting mixed as they would only follow their shepherd when he came for them. They knew his voice immediately.
B. This is true of the Lord’s church.
There is but one fold, one flock and one shepherd. Speaking of the Gentiles,
C. Christ is the door to this fold.
D. But entering this fold is up to each person.
No one is forced to enter.
Thus, it is each one’s own personal choice. Our Lord calls, but there are few who are willing to enter. Many want to enter in their own way. But it cannot be. There is only one door.
There are many blessings to be found within. But all these blessings are conditioned upon man entering into the fold of Christ.
Baptism puts one into Christ, into His fold, His church. This must be preceded by faith in the shepherd and his fold, and then repentance, a willingness to change directions so as to enter by the door into that fold.